Trattoria Casa Di Isacco
“The deco on the walls is all this Elvis mixed with Italian celebrities while this music of various Italian funny songs plays.”
“I have been four times now and each time the food was amazing and the owner, Isaac, was kind, entertaining and helpful.”
“Waiter prepares it at the table, slicing and arranging right down to a decorative tower rising from the ice cream.”
Trattoria Casa Di Isacco
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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A 3 star restaurant I'd probably go back to, if only to witness Isacco and his passion for The King.
The owner of this place is Spanish, originally from Tenerife, in the Canary islands. From the age of 8 he's been addicted to idolizing Elvis. He's an Elvis impersonator. He incessantly plays old Elvis videos on the big screen TV that dominates the back half of the dining room; and he'll play his own CDs/recordings of him singing Elvis tunes for hours on end with a tear in his eye. Really.
That aside, he has some of the best pata negra in NYC. Too expensive, for sure, but excellent, nonetheless. (When we asked him to fix us up an appetizer plate of it we got hit with a $50 charge. But wow was it delicious).
The rest of the food was decent but nothing special. The lamb chops were ordered medium rare and came out medium, if not more. The seafood pasta was good, but not spectacular. The sangria was too sweet for our taste, but other people seem to enjoy it. And the Barolo we switched to and which was billed as an incredible deal at only $55 or so, was worth, at most, that.
Those complaints aside, Isacco is so passionate about his life and his love (for The King), it's an honor to dine with him and witness the heart and soul he pours into his 30 seat hole-in-the-wall spot.
Okay, seriously…The Yelpers who gave this place crummy reviews are dead wrong. They were either high when they went here or are just tasteless. Either way, let's get on to the real review of this place…
We got super lucky this evening stumbling upon Trattoria Casa di Isacco after the tapas place across the street proved to be beyond irritating. We needed to eat and we didn't want to go much further seeing as we've tried just about everything in this area. Spotting a Trattoria, we decided to give it a shot.
It was packed with only one table, luckily, vacating shortly after we arrived. Everything about this experience was phenominal. The owner, from Barcelona interestingly enough, was unreal. We ordered the stuffed artichoke – one of the best I've had – and two specials as entrees…One seafood over fresh homemade pasta and an order of the rack of veal. My seafood dish was fantastic and came with just over half of an entire lobster. Really? Nice. The veal, which I took a bite of, was rich and unlike any I had tasted before.
Dessert was cassata along with moscato. They gave us each two glasses of moscato instead of one. Bill comes and we are pleasantly surprised…An amazing meal for the fraction of what you'd find elsewhere. And as we went to get up, the owner offered us his homemade sangria (on the house) so we stayed. Not just a glass but a pitcher! We actually had to sneak out since we were so full and intoxicated beyond our limit to stick around.
This is honestly one of those places that makes me glad to be in New York, and even Manhattan. It is authentic (well, to a point…owner is from Barcelona)…it is inexpensive…the food is of an incredible quality…and the service was supburb. I would absolutely, positively come back and come back soon…
Isac, this guys is the best, the restaurant is conveniently located around the street from the hotel I was staying in. The inside and outside decor of the restaurant is extravagant and traditional at the same time, I absolutely loved it. The food is good, authentic Italian/Spanish dishes, the sangria was delicious and the owner and host is unique and just makes you feel so welcome, even gave me complementary "Vino Santo" as he calls it and ice cream. He also singed for us, he has a good voice and an awesome personality. Will be back to this place for sure when I return to NYC.
I tried this place after a coworker recommended it and it was delicious!! I tried the red and white sangria, they are both homemade and so good. I also got the best Eggplant Rollatini!! The only downside was the service, it took forever to get our check.
Stopped in with my friends after an event. It was closing time so no food & I'm not a drinker but no one I was with had any complaints. It might not be the best place to bring a large crowd but I am curious to see what the menu looks like and could be persuaded to get a date to take me here for dinner.
With a much better Italian restaurant like Il Punto a block away, this Trattoria is on borrowed time. I have walked past many many times but the storefront never really grabbed my attention. But as a Yelper, I took note and put it on my list of places to try. So lunch today I was wondering where to eat and said maybe here. Walking over I just knew no way it will compare to Il Punto but I took one for the team and walked in.
The decor is crazy out of date. Three plastic palms flanking the front entry. Colored Christmas globes. Lots of dark wood. Cluttered. The lighting seems very low. But the place is no way nice enough to consider it romantic.
Foodwise I kept it simple with chicken parm and a glass of Chianti. So the bread came out, olive oil on the table, I did not ask but I think the bread is Sullivan Street Bakery. Lots of people like their bread but I don't, the crust is a bit too tough for my taste. So I am sitting there, the host is doing whatever in the back, and I don't get my wine until the main course is served. Give me a break, I was the second table for lunch, he wasn't busy. The chicken parm came out, almost OK, not really good enough. A bit dry and overcooked. The side of penne came out room temp. The wine was not bad but very very young.
Just not worth it. So many better places in NYC. As I said earlier, Il Punto Ristorante, a block further down and across the street is much better and the prices are comparable.
Over the top restaurant I have ever visit before. Staff friendly and overly attentive, owner a great character and adds charm to the place. Food was good old fashion Italian. They have the best homemade sangria in the world tasted like juice and didn't leave me with the headache (and i drank alot of it). Me and my companion order a veal dish and chicken dish, both were outstanding and the sauce on the small side plate of pasta was out of this world and tasted home and hand made! Found it by walking around and in hells kitchen. They are hard core on Elvis the black outfit DVD was playing the hole time and music was most all Elvis but hey worst things could be playing in a restaurant. A MUST STOP on your next trip to NYC or just go down for this restaurant!
KenScale: 8.0/10
I've recently had one of the wackiest dining experiences in the city. A restaurant headed by a flamboyant owner from Spain who used to impersonate Elvis in his early days and who would totally ignore the menu and start serving whatever he feels like at whatever price he sets (including mean sangria consisting solely of brandy and wine). While I don't pretend to be a snob (I could care less about a restaurant's environment as long as the food is good), but the place felt like a joke when my friends brought me here for a year-end dinner. To my huge surprise, however, the food was actually quite delicious.
The food at this restaurant is a mix of Italian and Spanish cuisine. Here, don't even think about browsing the menu. The owner Isacco asks regulars (a couple of my friends have quickly become one) what they want and brings off-menu items that probably taste better than what's on the menu. I enjoyed the savory and crunchy shrimp in garlic, although the octopus turned out to be a little too salty. Next came an assortment of jamon iberico that was definitely better than the average ones in a typical Spanish joint, with great texture of the meat that made it a perfect dish to nibble with sangria on the side. I was also a fan of the Chilean sea bass that had very balanced flavor, and the two pasta dishes that I tried (seafood linguini that came with lobster and an assortment of ravioli that came in different varieties from pesto to veal) were also outstanding. For dessert, tartufo ice cream, tiramisu and chocolate cream were all solid dishes to end the lavishness of the dinner.
As noted above, the atmosphere of the restaurant can get out of control, with TV featuring Italian concerts on and the owner constantly stopping by to make jokes and refill the sangria without even being asked to do so. I was definitely getting tired by the end of the meal, but if you can bear with those elements, the food at Trattoria Casa Di Isacco can be rewarding.